“Fantastic” new partnership helping more Northumberland residents into work

A new partnership delivering employment and skills services in Northumberland is changing the way residents are supported into the job market.

The Northumberland Employment Partnership project, funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), and working with Newcastle and North Tyneside Councils, is bringing together organisations to support residents and local employers to upskill the workforce and for residents to move into good quality work.

Councillor Wojciech Ploszaj, cabinet member for Supporting Business and Opportunities at Northumberland County Council, commented: “We want to bring together organisations and services to support both residents’ employment goals and employer’s recruitment needs.

“We know the barriers residents can face in securing good work, and those that hinder employers in recruiting. By coming together to deliver the services people need and making employment opportunities more accessible, we’ll help to narrow inequalities and deliver economic growth.”

The County Council’s Employment Partnership coordinator Vicki Clarke said: “The jobs market in Northumberland has been changing in recent years, and while there are great opportunities and job vacancies across the county, many employers are finding it difficult to recruit the right people, and too many residents are not in work and are not getting the training and jobs they seek.”

A key element is to make sure employers have a voice and that organisations are delivering services that meet their needs. An Employer Engagement Coordinator with Advance Northumberland is listening to local businesses, finding out their recruitment and skills needs and joining them up with the right providers.

The Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) is playing a role too, working with people in their communities to find the specific localised support they need. The council is working jointly with Northumberland CVA and the Thriving Together network to deliver a partnership that connects directly with communities and the grass roots organisations that work within them.

Partnership network meetings are said to be proving a “great success”, with over 60 organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors joining the network, and over 30 representatives regularly attending to coordinate services in Northumberland.

Councillor Jeff Reid, chair of Advance Northumberland, added: “The partnership gives us a fantastic opportunity to link employers and people and will support business growth and improve living standards.

“We’ll work with businesses to look at wider aspects of employment, and through the new Employability Network we’ll be able to integrate employers into the employment support landscape and help develop and match people to jobs that at one time they may have found difficult to attain.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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